Rear-end / Differential / Drivetrain Noise?

[sello]

good lord tibra maybe u should read alittle more...this is not a noise when turning as the original poster had stated... its noise that is very annoying and happens in any gear usually between 38-45mph mostly light throttle

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by sello

good lord tibra maybe u should read alittle more...this is not a noise when turning as the original poster had stated... its noise that is very annoying and happens in any gear usually between 38-45mph mostly light throttle

Please trust..change the diff oil..

[adc]

Originally Posted by tibra1

Good Lord..I cant believe these threads still going on.,

You are in a car with a clutch type LSD...

YES it makes noise, especially when cold, making tight radius turns and in the break in phase..once you do the break in service and swap the diff fluid things will quiet down a whole lot with only the occasional groan when cold and turning.

...And if that's what they guy complained about, then you would be right, of course. A bit annoyed that the threads still pop up, but right.

But the guy is complaining about a different type of noise present at 43mph, driving in a straight line.

So let's keep the threads popping up please, so we can draw attention to a potential new/different issue...

[sello]

differential fluid was chaged at 13k miles due to the clunking noise at low speed turning. now i have 30k miles and bmw last week added an additive again and says go 1000 miles and see if it changes, so I its been 900 miles no change whatsoever but if this is a common issue I dont want to give BMW a hard time on fixing it, if not common i want this fixed. im thinking if its posssible due to the earlier issues with the rear diff maybe it caused permanent damage already, just not sure

[Small Yellow]

I had something similar happen. A bolt that holds my rear diff broke and my rear diff was slanted. I had my car towed to BMW and they had to replace the subframe because that was also damaged I think.

[sello]

my service advisor is quite nice and wants to get to the bottom of the issue. its going in for the third time tommorow morning..BMW should fix this cuz it seems obvious to me that is not happening in all m3's just a select few. ill keep u guys updated..

[sello]

i guess this issue isnt as common as i thought, I dont see to much imput on this..so i guess im fighting with bmw till its fixed.

[sello]

new update!!! new rear differential ordered and being installed ASAP!

[apecush]

i have mild gear whine from the rear end... it is a performance car - it's a sound I pretty much expect to hear.

[sello]

thanks to inskip BMW in warwick ri for a speedy relplacemnet of my rear differential. noise is gone and it drives great..kinda feel bad for the few people who posted and have been told that the noise is normal, well considering I complained and now the noise is gone, im guessing its not normal

[TurboSpecC]

Sounds like I have the same problem - I picked up a 2009 M3 convertible with 35,000 miles a few weeks ago and was getting the same noise @ ~40-50 mph, on load, in any gear. Luckily it was almost inaudible with the top down, but quite annoying with top up. Local dealership replaced the diff fluid which did nothing and then had the car for 8 days but couldn't figure it out. Said it might be normal but didn't have another M3 to compare with.

Got fed up with them and took it to another dealership who just decided to order an entire new rear diff. Waiting for it to come in, but hopefully that will do the trick!

Unfortunately I didn't see this thread (or really any other thread) describing this problem before bringing it in. I described the noise as almost a muted "howl", but it seems like very few owners notice it/post about it. My advice: take it to another dealership if yours is refusing to acknowledge a problem.

[highyo]

in the break in process, i had a whine that felt (and sounded) almost like i was going over a metal bridge, but it was not steady. kind of like a pulsing. and it was only in 7th gear and under load between 2800-3200 rpms

have not heard it since my service and diff fluid change.

[sello]

hey turbo u might slightly hear the noise at first when u get it back.give it like 700 miles to work the new rear diff in, it goes away and will be good as new..

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by sello

thanks to inskip BMW in warwick ri for a speedy relplacemnet of my rear differential. noise is gone and it drives great..kinda feel bad for the few people who posted and have been told that the noise is normal, well considering I complained and now the noise is gone, im guessing its not normal

You know..you have to undertstand that "noise" is subjective and varies to HUGE degrees..if you had to change your diff than the noise must have been great..but as I and countless others have said..having noise coming out of the diff does not ALWAYS mean there is something wrong..clutch diffs make noise..thats the reality...most times its diff fluid change thats called for..glad you got you problem fixed..but please stop trying to apply you sitaution to everyone else who owns this car.

FYI trying to describe a noise without a video or frame of reference is pointless

[TurboSpecC]

Originally Posted by sello

hey turbo u might slightly hear the noise at first when u get it back.give it like 700 miles to work the new rear diff in, it goes away and will be good as new..

Thanks, good to know. Since it's a new diff, will I need to bring it back in for a fluid change after 1,200 miles?

[sello]

hey tibra y u always hating...he described the noise exactly as mine and thats y i realated ed the 2. not sure y u keep thinking were talking about different things its obvious when the noise described is the same, when they happen at the same mph. true some noises coulde be attirbuted to the drive train but not something so annoying like this...dont think bmw would make a car that anyone gets into complains about the noise...

[tibra1]

Originally Posted by sello

hey tibra y u always hating...he described the noise exactly as mine and thats y i realated ed the 2. not sure y u keep thinking were talking about different things its obvious when the noise described is the same, when they happen at the same mph. true some noises coulde be attirbuted to the drive train but not something so annoying like this...dont think bmw would make a car that anyone gets into complains about the noise...

Hating on what?..You're just out here ringing the alarm saying that anyone that has diff noise is not normal and needs a new diff..just reconginze that its not so black and white..

[ChrisK]

I had a grind sound coming from the rear diff and took the car in last week. There is a service bulletin for this. The sound is now gone. I don't remember the solution - it's either a different fluid or an additive to the diff fluid to fix the problem.

[vroomM3]

I actually started a thread about this noise in my 2009 E92 M3, without knowing this thread exists...

I wonder if I should try changing the diff. fluid to see if this quiets it down.

I'm also somewhat relieved that I'm not the only one...

[kyrix1st]

Does it sound like rubber rubbing noise? I have this at tight turns, low speed as well. Was told perfectly normal.

[vroomM3]

Originally Posted by kyrix1st

Does it sound like rubber rubbing noise? I have this at tight turns, low speed as well. Was told perfectly normal.

No, just like the OP, mine sounds like a "howl" and can be heard at 40-43mph, on load. Mine is quiet when I make tight turns at low speed.